


and some days we fall

by ceraunophiliac



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, DreamSMP - Freeform, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eret helps, Family Dynamics, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Minecraft, Revolution, Tubbo is sad, election, keep that shit away from minors, no romance here, this is all platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:49:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26876209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ceraunophiliac/pseuds/ceraunophiliac
Summary: Tubbo wakes after a long day to find something horrendous has happened to him. He panics, only to find comfort in the form of someone who he views as an older brother and one of the last people he can trust.
Relationships: Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, No Romantic Relationship(s), Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 24
Kudos: 647





	and some days we fall

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired By: @/lambadaforlilith on TikTok :) My friend wanted me to write, and so I shall! This all purely platonic, brotherly love! Based off of how I would comfort my own siblings in this situation :)

Tubbo sighed, head drooping as he braced himself against the wall of the freshly built office building. He couldn’t have a moment of peace. Schlatt had even insisted on Tubbo staying near when he ate. He had even gone as far as to force the teen to have dinner with him as he spouted off new commands. He was exhausted. Schlatt had him working day in and day out, abusing his power as the newly elected president.

Tubbo scoffed, kicking at the disturbed dirt beneath his polished leather Oxfords. “President.” How foolish they all were, to think Schlatt wouldn’t have a backup plan, to think Wilbur could win. He remembered the pain that tore his heart in half as Schlatt’s voice rang out, memorized the evil in his voice as he shouted out his first demand as president.

_ “My first decree as the president of L’Manburg—THE EMPEROR of this great country—is to revoke the citizenship of Wilbur Soot and Tommy Innit!” _

He remembered the feeling of being punched in the gut when Tommy's blue eyes landed on him, full of shock and agony as Schlatt declared his other half to be exiled. The screams of horror, shock, and excitement in the air were etched into his brain, replaying like a broken record. 

When Schlatt told Tubbo what he was to be, Tubbo couldn’t say no. He had wanted to go after Tommy, to go after Wilbur. He had wanted to fight for them, but what was he to do against the new self-proclaimed “emperor”? The short boy just hoped his brother in arms would understand that he had to do this to keep them safe, to keep everyone safe. He didn’t want to know what would happen if he had said no. He knew Tommy and Wilbur were still around, watching as he shakily agreed. He remembered feeling eyes pierce into him, remembered catching Tommy’s disappointed stare before he followed Wilbur over the hills. All Tubbo could do was shake his head softly, telling himself it’d be okay, that Tommy Innit would live to see another day.

And so Tommy and Wilbur hid themselves, Niki’s taxes were raised, L’Manburg’s walls came down, and Tubbo did the best he could to keep up with Schlatt’s demands. The search parties for the two exiles were calmed hours after they had started, making sure the pair was nowhere to be found, but Tubbo knew they were still around as the walls came down. He could feel his best friend’s icy eyes digging into his back at his every move; could feel Wilbur’s anger as he watched the walls he had helped put up come down. The day turned to night, and the two must’ve vanished because he no longer felt eyes stabbing into him. 

Each day, Tubbo couldn’t help but feel rising anger towards the man who treated him as a pawn to be played with. Schlatt would pat the boy’s head as he passed by, would tightly grab at his arms and shoulders, digging his nails into Tubbo as he ordered the boy around. He’d ruffle Tubbo’s hair, smile down at him with a demeaning glare, sharp teeth becoming predatory, eyes glinting with evil intent. Tubbo could only silently snarl with disgust as the horned man turned away from him, expecting his orders to be carried out immediately.

**/ - / - | - \ - \**

“...bbo! Tubbo! Hey, bud, c’mon, wake up!” 

Tubbo startled, flailing his arms as he felt someone pat his cheek gently. He opened his eyes, coming face to face with dark sunglasses. He blinked as the person moved away, glancing around at his surroundings.  _ When did the sun go down? _ he thought absently as his vision refocused to see Eret smiling down at him, calloused hand resting gently on his shoulder.

“Tubbo, hey. You zoned out against the wall. I noticed you only because I was on my way to grab supplies from my tower.” Eret’s baritone voice filled the air as he gestured towards the imposing tower behind the office building. “C’mon, buddy. You need some sleep,” he started, voice gaining something close to hatred as he continued, “Schlatt’s been overworking you like some workhorse.” 

Tubbo nodded blearily, agreeing. He allowed Eret to lead him back to Tommy’s old place. A small twinge struck his heart as he stared at the poorly made house. A gentle nudge pulled him back to reality. 

“Thank you, Eret. Goodnight,” Tubbo uttered quietly, offering the tall architect a small nod of appreciation before disappearing into the small house. He listened carefully for the fading footsteps of the man who betrayed him all those months ago. He had forgiven Eret, knowing he had only done what he needed to in order to protect himself. Eret was practically his older brother, right next to Wilbur. He didn’t know what the man thought of the new leader yet. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know either. 

The brunette boy settled himself into Tommy’s old bed, staring up at the stone ceiling as he fell back into his thoughts. Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, slowly slipping out as sleep overtook his body, providing him a safe space to dream about the days he and Tommy would run through fields. No worry clouded their minds back then. It was a peaceful time, a happier time. A time when the air was filled with shrieks of excitement, filled with the joyous laughter of the two tumbling teengers. 

**/ - / - | - \ - \**

The image of Tommy’s smile faded from Tubbo’s head as he awoke the next morning. A small whimper slipped from his lips, wanting to hold onto the image forever. It was one of the only things that kept him going, after all. He exhaled heavily, knowing another day of pain was waiting for him the second he left the little shack. He was lucky the shack was on the land of the DreamSMP. If it wasn’t… well, he wasn’t sure he’d have anything of Tommy left. 

He groaned as he sat up, letting his head fall into his hands, only to stop short.

_ What _ ?

Shaky hands felt around his head, thoughts blanking as his jaw fell slack. He rose quickly, shoving the sheets off him as he rushed out of the small house. He ran down to the Common House, falling to his knees to examine his reflection in the water. Shock filled his eyes as he saw the dark, scale-covered horns protruding from his head. His fingers prodded at them, a sick feeling swelling in his stomach.

“What?” he choked out, voice small, laced with absolute terror. The pathway shook as heavy footsteps approached his small, trembling form. His eyes were glued to his reflection as deep laughter echoed in his ears. 

“They finally grew in! Do you like them?” Schlatt asked from above him, smile evident in his tone. “I was starting to wonder whether or not they ever would.” The man grinned to himself, deriving sickening delight from the stupefied boy’s discovery. He couldn’t believe how easily he had been able to slip the potion into the kid’s stew last night. 

“You knew this would happen?” Tubbo asked, infuriated.  _ How could this be? In what timeline did this make sense? In what world? _ The brunette’s mind went from short-circuiting to rapid firing within seconds. “How is this possible, Schlatt? What did you do to me?”

The horned man behind him chuckled lowly, “You’re a smart kid, Tubbo. Put two and two together, yeah?” He clapped the boy harshly on the shoulder, letting his hand linger as he bent down to whisper in Tubbo’s ear, “I can’t believe you didn’t notice. After all, you made the meal.” 

And then he was gone, walking back down the path, back towards Manburg. The shell-shocked teen racked his brain for clues, desperately trying to make sense of what just happened. Schlatt’s words replayed in his head,  _ “After all, you made the meal.” _

The meal. He had dinner with Schlatt last night. He recalled glancing around boredly as Schlatt droned on and on about how easily they had “let those two weasels get away.” Tubbo had stepped away for a minute, claiming he had to use the restroom. A minute. Tubbo’s eyes filled with tears as the realization hit him with full force, knocking the air out of his lungs. 

_ A minute was long enough for his food to have been dosed. _

A disgusted, horror-laced scream tore from his throat as he pulled at the scale-covered bones jutting out from his head. His nails scraped harmlessly at the horns. What was he going to tell Tommy? What would Wilbur think? Would they think growing these monstrosities was voluntary?

He stood up quickly, turning to run back to his shack. He needed to find someone who’d know what to do. Someone who would believe him when he tells them what happened. His mind was buzzing more than an offended nest of bees, crossing off people one by one. Someone who wasn’t for Schlatt was ideal, and they couldn’t be a member of Manburg. 

Tears left their mark against his face as he ran, wind nipping bitterly at his skin. Knees hit the ground as he collapsed in front of the old shack, body shuddering with emotion. His head fell, salty liquid crystals falling faster as he let out a painful-sounding sob, overwhelmed. A horrendous scraping sound filled the air as Tubbo banged the horns against the stone of Tommy’s house. Feeble hands continued to pull weakly at the horns. He cried out quietly as pain rang through his body, only increasing with each yank at the new bones. His head jerked with each pull, chest constricting with each pull. 

Brown eyes squeezed shut, last of his tears escaping from the corners of his eyes. His hands, bleeding at the nails, fell helplessly to the ground beneath him. The brunette shifted to rest his back against the stone, letting his head fall back as he trembled. He took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself as he wrapped his arms around himself. Warm rays of sun shone down on him, the sun seeming to take pity on the small boy.

When a shadow covered the sunshine, he couldn’t help but whimper, immediately feeling cold. He heard the new person take a sharp intake of air, heard them settle in front of him. His eyes stayed shut, not wanting to see the face of the person in front of him. They weren’t speaking, but he could feel them staring. Tubbo jumped when a hand softly touched his shoulder, the feeling a sharp contrast to how Schlatt had just touched him; to how he had just abused himself. 

“Open your eyes, Tubbo,” a rumbling voice said. Tubbo instantly recognized it as Eret’s, as the only voice to compete with his was Technoblade’s, and Techno had an American accent. His eyes cracked open slowly, causing him to wince as the sunlight flooded his vision. He blinked up at the architect, confused as to why he hadn’t been drilled with questions yet. Eret only smiled gently at him, the action causing warmth to blossom in Tubbo’s chest. He wasn’t expecting such kindness to be shown, especially when he now had horns sprouting from his head.

“Eret?” Tubbo questioned shakily, not completely trusting the man in front of him. The aforementioned man nodded, signalling for Tubbo to go on. His tongue darted out, quickly wetting his lips before he continued, “What are you doing here?” What  _ was _ Eret doing here? Usually he’d be halfway across the DreamSMP, working on some new tower.

The taller man sighed before explaining himself, voice soft. “I was working on my castle and suddenly had a sick feeling in my gut. It lead me here, to you. What happened, Tubbo? Did Schlatt do something to cause this?” Eret’s pitch lowered even further as he spoke, anger evident in his tone. The builder felt his fists clench. The mere idea of Schlatt harming Tubbo more than he already has caused fury to ignite in the normally tranquil man’s chest. 

Fear shined brightly in Tubbo’s eyes as he averted them. “Schlatt dosed my food with some sort of potion, I think,” he whispered, stumbling over his words. He felt like sobbing again, but he had no more tears left to cry. “It’s not my fault, Eret!” he said suddenly, locking eyes with Eret’s sunglasses. His gaze seemed to piece right through them. “It’s not my fault! I-I went to the bathroom for a minute, just t-to take a break and get away from him! Oh, I should’ve stayed, I shouldn’t have left. I should’ve known, I should’ve expected this,” Tubbo choked out, hiccuping as he grew more frantic. He wanted Eret to believe him. “I promise, I didn’t want this, Eret! P-Please, please believe me! I didn’t know, I didn’t know! I—,” he sobbed out. 

“Shh, hey, hey, c’mere,” Eret hushed him, gathering the quivering boy into his arms. As Tubbo buried his face in Eret’s chest, tears he didn’t know he had left started falling, staining Eret’s shirt. “It’s alright, I believe you. I know you don’t like Schlatt, I know,” he said softly, rubbing his hand against Tubbo’s back. He held the small boy tighter, recognizing how terrified he must be. 

Eret, on the other hand, was pissed. Fleeting thoughts in his head told him to hunt down the “emperor” and kill him in cold blood. He knew he could count on numerous people to help him, too. How dare he harm Tubbo? Eret had been sitting on the sidelines all this time, watching as Schlatt tore down the wall  _ he _ built, watching as he unfairly taxed Niki, watching as he had exiled his ex-brothers from their own lands. He had been idle during it all, but now, oh, now Schlatt has gone too far. 

The person who he viewed as a little brother was bawling in his arms with a set of horns protruding from his head. Schlatt caused this, and he was going to pay, that much Eret knew to be true. The king of the DreamSMP shifted his focus away from Schlatt, back to the present. Tubbo was still quietly sniffling, wiping at his red nose and eyes, but he seemed to be calming down. Eret held him in comfortable silence until the boy pulled away, muttering a small thanks and an apology for the shirt.

Eret chuckled lightly, looking down at his tear and snot stained shirt, shrugging it off.  _ What was a shirt in comparison to the mental stability of my little brother?  _ Eret thought with a flash of amusement. He gazed at Tubbo with a concerned look in his eyes, concealed by the dark sunglasses he donned. The boy was glancing around nervously, as if he was scared someone was going to see him.  _ Of course! Tubbo doesn’t want anyone to see what Schlatt has done to him, _ Eret’s dark eyebrows furrowed as his mind attached itself to the idea, pushing it to the forefront of his mind.

“Tubbo, you said you think he slipped a potion into your food, right?” his deep voice broke the silence. The aforementioned gasped quietly, startled out of his own thoughts. White eyes studied the boy, unasked questions swimming within the inhuman orbs. He repeated his question, needing a response. 

“Uh, yeah, I think so. Now that I think more about it, the food did taste different after I came back. I guess I just wrote it off as me being nervous,” Tubbo sighed, eyes cast down in shame.  _ God, how stupid could I possibly be? _ he thought to himself before refocusing on Eret.

Eret’s forehead creased as he pulled his lip between his teeth, seeming to turn over an idea. Tubbo could practically see the cogs turning in the king’s mind, watching as he tilted his head in consideration. “Tubster, I might be able to find a way to reverse this—,” he finally started to say, quickly being cut off.

“You can?!” the bee lover asked excitedly, mood doing a complete 180 ° from what it previously was. His eyes shimmered with hope, the mere possibility of getting rid of the horns drawing eagerness out from the shambles of despair. “Oh, that’s great, Eret! How?” he asked curiously, blue eyes staring up at the architect.

A small laugh escaped Eret, grin growing at the younger boy’s enthusiasm. “Just wait a second, Tubbo. I said I  _ might _ be able to reverse it. I need to know what he used, but it shouldn’t be too hard to get him to tell you. All you have to do is start talking to him about it. I bet the cocky bastard will spill all his secrets as soon as you ask, that’s just like him.” The man watched as Tubbo’s expression morphed into determination. 

“Yeah! Schlatt thinks I’m some sort of idiot,” Tubbo scoffed. Eret felt barely contained fire pulse through his veins at Tubbo’s words. “It should be easy to trick him into thinking I just want to know how he did—,” Tubbo gestured at his horns, “—this out of curiosity,” the kid finished. The builder nodded, agreeing. Tubbo was right, even if it made Eret a little angry. Schlatt needed to continue to think Tubbo was just some stupid teenager.

The shorter brunette wasn’t about to let Tommy and Wilbur see him like this, with the mark of the enemy jutting out of his head. He was going to solve this, and with Eret by his side, it’d be easier than before. The boy let out a small sigh, not knowing what came next. He watched as Eret stood, his form towering over the boy before he stuck out a hand, pulling Tubbo up when he grabbed it.

“Come on, buddy. We have quite a bit of planning to do.” Eret let a smirk cover his lips, lowering his glasses to look back at Tubbo. The latter nodded, hurrying after the tall man. He took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to do could change things forever. He needed to do this, needed to fix this. 

For his brothers. 

For the server. 

For....

Tubbo's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he realized what his next thought was. 

  
He needed to do this  _ for himself. _

**Author's Note:**

> Don't be scared to leave comments! I love feedback and would like to see what you all think! :) <3 Maybe I'll write more in the future, it's still undecided


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